Japan is facing a super-aged society where one in four people is elderly. In such a super-aged society, realization of a vibrant society of health and longevity is desired. Elderly people, however, have problems of reduced neurological function, such as diminished motivation, increased stress, and decreased appetite.
Soft food products that deal with a reduction in swallowing and/or masticatory function have been developed in the field of nursing care food products. In the future, there will be a need for developing next-generation nursing care food products with functionality that can ameliorate the above-described reduced neurological function.
PTL 1 discloses a wheat-gluten-derived peptide that exhibits antidepressant activity. However, there are no known peptides that can ameliorate diminished motivation.